LEVIATHAN MINE
ADVENTURING IN A ROXOR
It might look like a really nice old Jeep, but it’s not a Jeep. It might be sold as a side-by-side, but it isn’t really a side-by-side either. The ROXOR is a vehicle in its own category. It is also an absolute blast of a vehicle to take on an off-road adventure.
The Plan
We got a little taste of what it’s like behind the wheel of a ROXOR at the vehicle’s launch last year in Texas. However, that experience was in a parking lot with well-manicured off-road obstacles, which didn’t really show us the real-world capabilities of this vehicle.
After the event, we became quick friends with the head of media relations at ROXOR, Eric Anderson, through a shared love for adventure motorcycles and off-road adventures. Close proximity to each other in northwestern Nevada last year, took us on a motorcycle adventure where it was decided we needed to get out for a big adventure in Eric’s personal ROXOR.
With both of us traveling for work a ton, and little spare time, we decided on a local day trip. Eric knows the area around Carson City, Nevada, really well and suggested we go explore the area off Leviathan Mine Road, which is just a few miles south of Gardnerville, Nevada, on the California state line. This was a perfect location, as we could trailer the ROXOR down the highway and quickly unload next to the highway to hit the dirt.
The Adventure Begins
The day started off with some ‘high speed’ cruising on the fast, smooth-packed gravel surface of Leviathan Mine Road. Since the ROXOR has a speed limit of 45 mph, that is the speed we went. While not fast, it was honestly plenty for the winding road and loose surface.
Our general plan for the day was to explore some side roads off the main gravel road, get some photos and get down to the Carson River on the California state line. It was a really loose plan, but we work well together and are easily excited by exploring new routes. The trails we took were a combination of Eric’s experience in the area,
random roads that looked good to us and routes that we picked out on the GPS while on the move.
The First Turn Back
On one of our first small excursions off the main gravel road we came to a dead end in a tight canyon. It took a five-point turn to get the ROXOR turned around, as the poor turning radius is the Achilles heel of the vehicle.
We then needed to cross back across a steep-banked small stream. Somehow, we got the ROXOR wedged pretty good down in the creek bed. Since it doesn’t have differential lockers, you need to drive it with a bit more throttle than you might want. Using left foot braking helps to find traction a bit, as well.
After trying all the driving tricks, we knew it was time to put the Warn winch on the front of the ROXOR to work. Teamwork allowed us to quickly and easily extract the little ROXOR out of the creek bed.
Carson River
Back on our way, we used the main road to get us down towards the Carson River. The road down to the river was full of rock slabs and small boulders, which slowed our pace considerably. The ROXOR is a solid axel leaf sprung vehicle running super basic mono-tube shocks. A kidney belt would have been nice when we hit these rough patches at speed.
Once down to the river we found a variety of wet conditions to test the ROXOR. We found sandy, muddy and rocky sections of trail with both standing and moving water scenarios. The standard 30-inch BF Goodrich KO2 tires offered up good traction in all the conditions we
threw at them.
Bryant Creek
We found the real adventure on this day when we spotted a possible circuitous route back to the trailer. We’re not ones to retrace our steps, if at all possible. There are always new things to see and experience if you take the road less traveled, and for sure the road you haven’t been down before.
This route started off with some fun cross axel scenarios, where we got the little ROXOR all bound up. It barely slowed us down though, as with a little finesse and left foot braking the ROXOR kept going. The trail continuously narrowed, became more overgrown and rough as we progressed. We were smiling from ear to ear, but unsure of what obstacle we’d find around the next bend.
After a few miles of some serious rocky sections and elevation changes, we came
“THE MOTOR ALWAYS OFFERED UP QUALITY USABLE TORQUE, BUT REQUIRES YOU TO KEEP IT SPOOLED UP AND IN A GEAR LOWER THAN YOU WOULD THINK TO GET ANY
HORSEPOWER OUT OF IT.” A little water crossing isn't going to stop the ROXOR.
to another small but steep creek crossing. We somehow managed to get the ROXOR wedged in the creek bed once again, but once again, made quick work of the extraction with the on board Warn winch.
The sun was fading quickly as we started the final two miles of this unknown track on the GPS. The entire rest of the route was the actual stream bed itself. We made it within a mile or so of meeting back up with the major road, but made the decision to turn around.
It was a hard decision, but the right one. We were tired, we had less than thirty minutes of daylight left and the trail ahead was very off camber, muddy and a bit unknown. A rollover was way more imminent than we felt comfortable with in our state and situation.
After a long section of reverse wheeling to get out of the stream bed, as there was no where to turn around, we briskly went back the way we came. While the route was tough, it was known and we made short work of it. We rolled back onto a more defined dirt road just as the last semblance of daylight lingered.
From this point, we still had a long way back to the truck, but it was all on relatively easy and known dirt and gravel roads. The Rigid light bar atop the ROXOR made night into day as we enjoyed the brisk night air on the way back to the truck and trailer waiting for us at the highway.
Is The ROXOR Adventure Rated?
This little off-road vehicle is a really capable and fun machine. The little 2.5L inline four-cylinder turbo-diesel sips fuel and the 12-gallon fuel tank offers up great range. The motor always offered up quality usable torque, but requires you to keep it spooled up and in a gear lower than you would think to get any horsepower out of it. As long as we drove the ROXOR with a little gusto, it tackled everything with amazing ease. While the gearbox is a bit clunky, it is good fun to row through the gears of the five-speed manual transmission.
Another huge advantage of the ROXOR for fun off-road adventures is that parts are inexpensive and it’s really easy to work on and fix. We managed to dent in a bumper corner and a bit of the bodywork on our little adventure. Some massaging with a hammer and some rattle can paint had it fixed up in no time.
ROXOR Upgraded
There are a ton of ROXOR Offroad and aftermarket parts coming out for the ROXOR. Everything from hardtops to air conditioning are already out there for this little off-road machine. The off-road capability upgrades are what we’d be most interested in, and a few small upgrades would go a long way in making the ROXOR even more fun off road.
The first thing we’d do is put better shocks on it and lift it an inch or two. We’d then fit 33-inch mud-terrain tires, which will not only help with tackling obstacles, but also provide a bit of extra sidewall that can act as suspension for a smoother ride. Then install front and rear selectable lockers. We’d also consider installing hydraulic bump stops and a snorkel. Both are not needed, but would add to the off-road confidence when pushing the ROXOR’s limits.